Voice notes - love 'em or hate 'em?!

[Helpmechooseausername]

Do you like a voice note on WhatsApp? I bloody hate them but my bestie loves them and I'm curious to know what others think!

I hate them because I have to stop and listen to them instead of just quickly reading them to see what I need to know. My sister leaves really long waffling ones that I often play on double speed just to get to the point! (And it's funny hearing her sound like a chipmunk!!)

My heart sinks when I see I've been left one, but my bestie says she'd love me to leave some for her. I can never think of what to say and end up doing lots of errrrr and ummmm-ing!

Do you like them?

I just don’t ever listen to them

I think they're controlling. If you want to discuss something phone me, if you want to send me a quick message text me and I can read it when I have a moment. A voice note I have to find somewhere quiet where my phone can't be overheard and sit and just listen to someone talk at me with no right to reply. Hate is an understatement for me.

ETA The longest one I ever got was just over 17 minutes. I'm not really friends with that person anymore there were very um self focused.

My whatasap status is:I don’t listen to voice notes. I can read faster than people can talk.

I might steal this

If it’s something long and difficult to explain/get all out in a text I don’t mind them.. but I do listen on x1.5 speed and I usually have my headphones in whilst i work/do housework/walk the dog anyway.
my friend sent me a 17 minute one just as I was leaving the house to walk the dog the other day.
it was perfect 😂

Hate them. I have a friend who uses them, and I agree with pp, it feels controlling. I have told her I detest listening to,voice mail, but she seems to think I don’t mean her messages. They take too long to play back, even at chipmunk speed.

How is it even possible to speak uninterrupted for 17 minutes? I’ve only ever done that when I’ve had to do work presentations. I certainly can’t listen for 17 minutes.

What I don't like about Voice Notes, apart from having to find a quiet time and place to listen to them and not being able to do an aural equivalent of skim reading to find the main point, is that if someone regularly leaves voice notes and you want to check something that they said, you don't know which voice note contains the relevant info so you have to relisten to a few. It's so much easier to go back and check written messages.

Hate them

Almost always hate them but if it’s someone I hardly see or they’re particularly funny then I’ll make an exception, there are a couple of distant and hilarious friends that if I see a voice note I actually look forward to listening to it. But most of them nah it’s an annoying inconvenience

Oh I'm so glad to hear it's not just me! I agree with all the reasons you've given for hating them, and more!

What on earth do people waffle on about for 17 minutes?? My bestie can talk the hind leg off a donkey, but even her longest one to me was 'only' 6 mins! And I played it double speed, so then it was a mere 3 minutes, but even that was too long!

Hate them. Like you say, take too long to listen to.

They’re really rude imo - I’ve made it quicker for me by making it longer for you.

Don’t ever listen to them.

Hate them.
If you want to talkto me, phone.

They’re absolutely hateful. Super convenient for the sender, total admin for the recipient. I don’t want to listen to your podcast. Shushy.

Hate! I don't have time to listen to them, when the message could have been a 10 second read. I often leave voice notes unlistened to for days. Alternatively, if you want to chat, phone me! It makes me so sad that some people prefer exchanging voice notes to actually talking.

I have several people who leave voice notes whilst they're out and about doing things, obviously because it doesn't eat into their day. It means their messages are interrupted by them saying, "Oh here's Mrs Whitlow.....Hello Mrs Whitlow, how's your Bernie? Did you get that recipe book you wanted?" mumble mumble mumble "Sorry about that, that was Mrs Whitlow from Slimming World" and on and on.

I always race through them at double speed then bloody well have to listen again because I've missed the only important point in 20 minutes of rambling.

I like listening to them, but not sending them.

The key is to only use the voice note for anecdote or gossip purposes. You never give vital information in a voice note, that should always be written so the receiver can access it easily. But gossip or anecdote is best done verbally.

Yeah, that's possibly a good compromise - voice notes for chat and messages for information!

But I still bloody hate them!

God I hate them. I have a couple of friends who only ever use voice notes and it steals my time! I get it saves their time but I pointedly reply with text but they just do NOT get it.

I find them really frustrating when I’m trying to retrieve information. If the sender wants to tell me something funny, with excellent comic timing - sure send a voice note, but tell me when and where we are meeting please type it out so I can find it later.

The only person I’m fine with getting from them is my friend for whom english is a second language (different script as well) and she finds it easier to send a voice note rather than worrying about spelling and grammar.

Otherwise just bloody drop me a message.

I have trouble listening to the automated telephone menus to the point I have to repeat them about three times before I know what number I need to press. I’ve got bugger all chance with a voice note.

The only ones I listen to are from my GD, she's only 9 and they are always short and sweet like "I love you nana"
Anyone else and I'm not going to listen

Can’t stand them.